Zeus remained silent for a long time, looking at the thin figure before him, and softly asked, "Is it worth it, Mobius?"
"What are you talking about, Your Majesty Zeus?" Mobius put down the leaf he was comparing, his eyes like a cold pool.
"You're doing this for Ares, aren't you, Mobius? From the moment you gained the power of purification, you knew the strengths and weaknesses of your power," Zeus said, stepping closer.
"You've convinced me, but more than that, I'm puzzled. Why would you do this? Ares is just a brute. You could easily fool him by saying I forced you, and he'd foolishly believe it." Zeus's lightning slowly dissipated.
"He's just a fool!" Zeus said indifferently. "Since his birth, he's merely been a pawn in the game between Hera and me. He always accomplishes what Hera and I instruct, and he only needs a reason to do it."
"Yes, Your Majesty Zeus, Prince Ares might seem like a brainless, inflexible god in your eyes, one you can easily manipulate, a being you can toy with at will." Mobius touched the face that had once been scratched by flint.
"But to me, he's different. He saved my life. When I was still a Daemon, I tried my best to find a divine position, even venturing into the territory of magical beasts." A hint of nostalgia flickered in Mobius's eyes. "Only after obtaining the divine position of healing did I realize how incredibly difficult the path to becoming a god was. The world only pays attention to gods."
"Daemon…"
"It sounds good, being a reserve for gods, but in this world, how many Daemons or Nymphs have, through their own power, burned everything they possessed to seize that one unique opportunity to attract the world's attention and thus gain a divine position?"
Mobius scoffed, "None! I once wanted to emulate the renowned goddess Clymene and the river of oaths, Styx, but the reason they could forge their own paths was due to the impetus of the great mother of waters, Tethys."
"If it weren't for Prince Ares, I would likely have burned everything I had when my lifespan was nearing its end, eventually turning into a pile of ashes, unwillingly dissipating into this sky."
A trace of doubt flashed across Zeus's face.
Mobius said self-deprecatingly, "Your Highness Zeus, you wouldn't understand the unwillingness of those below gods. My mother, do you still remember her name?"
"You don't remember, do you?" Mobius rubbed the twelve-leaf silver chain by his ear. "Yes, the gap between mortals and gods is like clouds and mud, and Prince Ares gave me a chance; he led me into the world of gods."
"Although it was merely a small favor to him, to me, it was a shore I could never reach in a lifetime! That's why I'm grateful!" The power of purification appeared in Mobius's hand. "A debt of gratitude, impossible to repay."
"A debt of gratitude, impossible to repay!" A flicker of anger crossed Zeus's eyes, and he burst into laughter. "A debt of gratitude, impossible to repay."
"What an ancient proverb!" Zeus said with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth. "If all the gods in the world were like you, then the gods of this world would fall."
"How ridiculous! To give up the possibility of further advancement for such a trivial help!" Zeus scoffed.
"Perhaps, I am such a ridiculous person, which is why I received the power of healing," Mobius said calmly.
"Get out! Get out with that ridiculous and foolish Ares of yours!" Zeus waved his lightning, sweeping Mobius out of the temple.
The temple doors closed tightly, and Zeus's eyes flickered with dark, uncertain light. "A debt of gratitude, impossible to repay. Is that a proverb from the Oracle of Delphi?"
"No, that was just something Mobius said casually!" Zeus seemed to be denying something. "Only power is what gods should pursue."
"Only power will not betray you, only power…"
"Emotions are just a seasoning…" Zeus subconsciously touched his right side, only to find nothing there. "Yes, the purest emotions will eventually dissipate with the passage of time."
"The ridiculous Mobius will surely return to beg my forgiveness after a hundred years, a thousand years. The foolish Ares cannot protect the world's sole Lord of Healing."
"The ridiculous Ares is merely an object of mockery for the gods. Apollo, Artemis, Selene, Helios… even Hebe, the goddess of youth, my recently conceived child, can toy with Ares." Zeus listed a string of names, continuously belittling his child.
But halfway through, Zeus stopped. A trace of sadness flashed across his face. "Ares, what a lucky child, with a mother who loves him and a subordinate god who is grateful to him. But what about me?"
"My mother, for a ridiculous reason, locked herself in the river of time, attempting to change Kronos's fate of imprisonment, and for a god who repeatedly betrayed her, she abandoned her most beloved children."
Lightning raged around Zeus, the power of the King of Gods unleashing itself within the temple. Ah! Ah! Ah!
The first person Mobius saw after being driven out was Ares.
Ares looked at Mobius with concern and said, "How are you? Are you alright? Did His Majesty the King of Gods do anything to you?"
Mobius looked at the worried Ares and let out a chuckle, saying, "My dear Prince! You don't have to worry, but from now on, our relationship will have to change."
"Huh?" Ares's face froze. What did that mean?
"Prince Ares, I am a child of the great King of Gods, His Majesty Zeus, left on Earth. What do you think our relationship is?" Mobius did not mention Zeus's attempt to recruit him.
After all, Zeus seemed a little broken after driving Mobius out; such a memory was probably something he would never want to recall.
"Oh?" Ares scratched his head and said, "I didn't expect you to be Zeus's child too. But you're still my subordinate god, so I probably can't be your brother, especially since my mother really dislikes Zeus's extra illegitimate children."
"So what? I don't care for this so-called illegitimate child status from Zeus at all. I am the Lord of Healing; every injured mortal on Earth will utter my name. Their faith in me is far better than being Zeus's illegitimate child!" Mobius said with a smile.